For a long time, Eden Perkins believed she wouldn't find another human being she would willingly die for - she didn't want to. The past few months of her life, ever since the day the dead had started coming back to life - and maybe even before that...
WHEN EDEN OPENED HER EYES AGAIN, she wasn't sure how much time had passed. She had been in a constant cycle of waking up and then falling back to sleep, feeling nothing but hollowness for what felt like days. But she slowly opened her eyes as she felt something – or rather someone – shaking her by her shoulders.
For a second there, she hoped it was a Walker, about to sink its teeth into her throat. But when her vision finally sharpened, she almost felt guilty for her previous thoughts. Her eyes met Clementine's amber orbs, swimming in worry.
There were only a few times where Eden could recall that Clementine looked scared but this was definitely one of them. Scared for her – scared she may have lost her. "Eden!" The young girl said, her voice quivering. "Eden, are you okay? Can you–Can you hear me?"
Eden's throat felt sore when she tried to speak up. She'd had to breath through her mouth for the last few hours as Nick's body had started decaying in the seat next to her. "Hey, I'm fine," she coughed, forcing a smile. "I'm fine, Peaches."
Clementine's eyes flickered over to Nick. They fixed on the entry wound in his forehead, his blood on the window and even some splatters of it on Eden's face which had dried and turned into a dark brown at this point. She was unable to say a word.
Eden couldn't follow her gaze. She couldn't bear the sight of Nick's dead eyes, his mouth wide open as if he was holding a scream. Instead, she whispered, "He... He got shot... Took a bullet for me..."
"He saved you?"
Eden bit her lip but nodded, her survivor's guilt eating her alive.
Clementine looked from Nick to Eden and then back. She imagined Eden in Nick's place, thinking of how close the most important person in her life had been to the brink of death. Silently, she thanked Nick for what he'd done. "He was a good guy," Clementine assured. She said so, trying to make Eden feel better but to no avail. Seeing her friend in so much distress hurt her so she pulled Eden into an embrace, wrapping her short arms around Eden's bigger frame. Still, she was able to feel her spine through the fabric of her clothes. They didn't have much to eat over the course of the last few days, especially Luke and Eden who barely ate anything as they tried to save their friends from Carver.
Only as she returned the hug, Eden noticed that they weren't alone. Mike was standing a few feet away from the car, trying to give them some space while scanning the treeline for any possible threat. From what she was able to make out from her position, he seemed unscarred from their flight through the walker herd and Carver's people shooting at them. Although she didn't know the man very well – they had barely exchanged a word –, she was glad he seemed alive and well.
